Why the mystery?: A troubling shortage of specifics in Gov. Cuomo's budget plan

The deadline for a state budget to be passed is just a little over a month away. The state constitution requires the budget to be approved by the state Legislature and signed into law by the governor by April 1, although wrangling over the budget has often caused state leaders to miss this deadline in the past. Sometimes by months.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo released his own $132.5-billion executive budget plan last month and while there’s a lot to like about it, particularly its focus on containing spending, there are a lot of blank spaces, too.

A number of lawmakers, including Democrats such as state Sen. Diane Savino, are understandably reluctant to simply rubber-stamp it without getting all the details.

For example, as Ms. Savino has noted, the governor’s budget called for 215 bridges statewide to be rehabilitated as part of the state’s $9-billion infrastructure plan.

Which bridges? The governor’s people wouldn’t say at the recent budget hearings. Neither would the state Department of Transportation. So how are lawmakers to know how to vote on this proposed expenditure?

Ms. Savino rightly complained, “We are not getting a lot of information from the administration. It is creating a lot of frustration. The commissioners, either they don’t have the answers, haven’t figured it out or say, ‘We’ll get back to you.’ It is a frustrating experience.”

She added, “We want to do an on-time budget. But we have an obligation to analyze what is being proposed so that we can support, amend or reject.”

She’s right to be circumspect. A lot of critics, including this page, have blasted the Legislature’s failure to pass an on-time in the past. Perhaps, this year, however, missing the deadline wouldn’t be such a bad thing. Lawmakers should get a good, long look at the details before they vote to approve anything.

An even more glaring example of this “We’ll get back to you” approach to the budget process was brought to light last week by Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis. And this one is even more vague and concerns an agency near and dear to the hearts of Staten Islanders.

Ms. Malliotakis pored over Mr. Cuomo’s executive summary of his budget plan and, on Page 7, came across a line under the “NY Works Fund” heading and “Authorities” subheading calling for a total of $9 billion to be appropriated.

Clearly earmarked is $5 billion for the construction of the new Tappan Zee Bridge.

The notation for the remaining $4 billion is merely “Existing capital accelerated (Ex. NYSERDA and P.A.).”

NYSERDA is the little-known New York State Energy Research and Development Authority; P.A., of course, is the Port Authority.

What’s the appropriation for?

Ms. Malliotakis hasn’t been able to get a straight answer on that, including in her meetings with Cuomo administration officials.

“It’s frustrating as a lawmaker because it is hard to get any information or answers,” Ms. Malliotakis said. “I’ve attended the budget hearings and what you get is, ‘We’re not sure yet.’ I don’t know how much the P.A. is funding, or what projects it is funding. I’m not going to issue a blank check and have my constituents pay for it.”

When the Advance asked, a P.A. spokesman said simply, “We don’t have the information readily available,” before referring the query to the governor’s budget office.

A spokesman for the governor’s budget office said, “Specific projects and their values have not yet been released,” but assured us “Details . . . will be available soon.”

So, essentially, this unspecified $4-billion allocation should be filed under “miscellaneous.” It is probably benign spending, perhaps intended to further P.A. projects already under way, but why not specify what they are instead of cloaking them in secrecy? Why the mystery?

And all this with the budget deadline just 35 days away. When are we supposed to find out where the money’s going? More to the point, when are our elected representatives in Albany supposed to find out?

Sorry, governor, but “All in good time” isn’t good enough. Lawmakers should withhold their endorsement until they get all the details, even if that means this year’s state budget is late.